Chapter 44: Roast Duck. (First update)...
After a few people bickered for a while, Chen Yan and Tao Yingce finally explained their purpose: Mrs. Shen learned yesterday that Chen Yan had dined at Linzhiji and brought back Chongyang cakes. She also learned that the Lin family had just moved to Bianjing, so she asked the mansion to prepare a lot of food early in the morning and asked the two of them to deliver it.
"Mrs. Chen is too polite." Song Jiaoniang took the things and wanted to invite Chen Lang and Tao Lang in to drink tea and eat some fruit, but she didn't know that the two were in a hurry to go to the Dali Temple to report for duty.
So Song Jiaoniang walked the two of them to the door, thought for a moment, and said, "Sister Zhi is preparing roast duck in the kitchen today. Why don't you come over to try it when you get off work tonight?"
"Then I'd better obey your command!" Chen Yan thought about the funny scene he just saw. He was curious about what the duck blown into a ball would taste like when cooked, so he simply agreed.
Tao Yingce had the same idea. The two were still discussing it when they walked into the Dali Temple, and the case of Madam Rong came up again.
"Have you asked someone to check? Did Rong Xiaolang go to school?" Tao Yingce was surprised when he heard the latest news from Chen Yan. "I remember he was admitted to Mingdao Academy!"
They had investigated the current situation of the Rong siblings last time, and also learned from insiders that Rong Xiaolang's academic performance was quite good, and he had just been admitted to Mingdao Academy at the beginning of this year.
Mingdao Academy was located in the outer city of Bianjing and was quite famous because it had students who passed the imperial examinations every year and because it did not restrict admissions based on background, it was one of the most sought-after destinations for common people students in Bianjing and even the surrounding areas.
Tao Yingce and Shen Yan had suspected earlier that the Rong siblings did not want the Dali Temple to intervene and were unwilling to investigate the deaths of their grandparents and biological mother. This might be because Rong Xiaolang was an excellent student and had been admitted to Mingdao College.
After all, if there was something fishy about the death of the biological mother or even grandparents of the Rong siblings, the murderer would most likely be their biological father. Then, according to the laws of this dynasty, Rong Xiaolang would not be able to pass the imperial examinations, let alone become an official.
But this logic is based on the fact that Rong Xiaolang studied at Mingdao Academy.
□□Xiaolang was admitted to the academy but did not go to study, so all this does not make sense.
"I have asked someone to retrieve the household registration information of the Rong siblings, and also asked Lu San and others to follow them and see the specific situation." Chen Yan replied.
Tao Yingce nodded, having no objection to Shen Yan's arrangement. He complained casually, "I originally thought it was just a simple case, but it has become increasingly complicated."
Chen Yan thought so too. Not only were several officials involved, but even the actions of the Rong siblings were strange in every way.
"But there are so many strange cases." Tao Yingce thought about it and felt that it was normal.
Since arriving at the Dali Temple, he's been overwhelmed by the sheer number of bizarre cases. Thinking of this, Tao Yingce pulled out a file: "Look at this. A woman has accused her husband of having an affair with a married man and is demanding a divorce."
"...A married man?"
"Yes, a married man." Tao Yingce's mouth twitched as he suppressed a laugh. "The plaintiff originally brought his servants to catch an adulterer, but he never expected to catch a man dressed as a woman. Even more outrageous is that the husband claimed he had no knowledge and was raped by the man. Do you think that's reasonable?"
"And there's this," Tao Yingheng said, becoming increasingly excited as he pulled out another file. "Here, this is a case sent by the Left Army Patrol Office in Kaifeng Prefecture. Can you believe someone was naked and exposed in the middle of the night, robbing people in the street?"
"Naked? Bare ass?" Chen Yan's face was blank, and he repeated it subconsciously. He only hated his sharp ears. By the time he came to his senses, the dirty stuff had already entered his head. He also wished he could go back a quarter of an hour so that he would not have heard it in the first place.
"That's right! This guy has committed multiple crimes and hasn't been caught yet. The four women who reported the crimes all said they were so frightened at the time that they covered their faces and dared not even look. Therefore, they have no memory of what the criminal looks like. It's outrageous!"
"This criminal has no shame and only preys on young girls. Fortunately, he has only robbed people of their money so far and has not committed any other crimes."
At this moment, the two suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside. Then an officer hurriedly pushed the door open and said with a serious face: "Tao Sizhi, something happened!"
Tao Yingce put away his smile and stood up suddenly: "What happened?"
The officer quickly replied, "That guy with the exposed butt, naked, uh, that gangster has appeared again! This time, he's stabbed someone to death!"
As soon as the words fell, Tao Yingce and Shen Yan's expressions changed at the same time: "How could it be? When did it happen?"
"It just happened!" the officer replied. "Witnesses saw a naked man snatch a woman's purse and then dash off. By the time they caught up, they found the woman dead and the man gone without a trace."
Not only Tao Yingce looked unhappy, but even Chen Yan, who was quickly flipping through the files, frowned. According to the files, in the first four cases, this naked bandit appeared either in the early morning or at sunset, and he left immediately after robbing the property without hurting anyone.
The change in the criminal's behavior could be due to some kind of stimulation, or it could be that his long-term escape from the authorities has made him more unscrupulous...
In either case, this gangster will become more dangerous, and even the frequency of future crimes will increase!
Tao Yingce and Shen Yan exchanged glances, immediately picked up their things, called their followers and left the Dali Temple.
Song Jiaoniang happened to see this scene and turned back to her daughter and said with a smile, "Everyone says that being an official brings honor to the family and is very glorious, but it's not that easy."
"I worked overtime yesterday, and I just checked in today and have to go on a business trip again. Not to mention I was away from Bian Jing for over a month a while ago. I have no free time at all."
"Being an official means high status and great benefits." Lin Zhi hung the fat duck, brushed with crispy water, high in a well-ventilated area, turning back and smiling. "You say they suffer, but don't you suffer, busy from morning till night with no free time? Don't you suffer the servants who serve them? Don't you suffer the butchers at the early morning market? Don't you suffer the girls selling steamed buns with mixed vegetables on the street? Don't you suffer the peddlers who carry firewood to Bianjing early in the morning?"
When Song Jiaoniang heard this, she thought about it and felt that it made sense. This kind of busyness was something that others could not even get. As a commoner, how could she have the right to sympathize with officials?
She shook her head, stopped thinking about it, and helped her daughter hang up all the fat ducks, then fanned them to dry.
After half an hour, the shop gradually became popular and the fat duck that had been poured with crispy water showed signs of drying out.
After waiting for another half an hour, Linzhi lowered a fat duck to check. He saw that the crispy skin water had completely penetrated into the duck's body, making the duck's skin lightly rose-red. It felt dry and non-sticky to the touch, which was the perfect degree of roasting.
After checking the condition of the fat duck, Linzhi went to the backyard to tinker with the kiln. He piled charcoal under the kiln, ignited it, and raised the temperature.
Because there is no precise temperature remote control nowadays, Linzhi can only rely on experience and her original body's keen sense of touch to adjust the temperature. This is why she specially prepared so many fat ducks a day in advance.
Linzhi glanced at the fat ducks brought by Linsen, and with high morale, he was the first to send a fat duck into the kiln.
When the first fat duck was roasted, the skin was burnt but the inside was still rosy pink. It was not cooked through. I think it was because the oven temperature was too high.
Linzhi adjusted the temperature and tried again.
The second roast duck was slightly better, but the skin was cracked, the juice was overflowing, and the meat inside tasted dry, which was clearly a failure!
…
Linzhi recorded the problems while also taking care of the front-of-house business. As each roast duck came out, she couldn't help but feel worried, unsure if she could roast the duck and serve it out tomorrow.
Lin Zhi was concentrating on researching and adjusting the kiln temperature and baking time, but she didn't realize that the diners outside were also mesmerized by the endless aroma of roast duck. Every diner who came in had to ask, "What dish is this? I want this!"
Then Song Jiaoniang apologized, "Excuse me, sir. These are new dishes that will be served tomorrow. How about these? Diced Eggplant and Braised Pork Rice, Minced Pork and Tofu Rice, Scrambled Egg and Chicken Rice... They're all delicious!"
The good news is: the taste piqued the interest of diners, and many of them said they would come to try it tomorrow.
The bad news is: Linzhi has started roasting the last two, but still has not seen any sign of success!
Lin Sen saw the guests off and went into the kitchen. He saw the roast duck on the counter, cut off a piece, tasted it, and was immediately struck by its beauty. "The duck skin is so crispy and fragrant, and the duck meat bursts with juices, and the gravy is incredibly fragrant! How can it be called a failure?"
Song Jiaonian nodded in agreement.
Every time Linzhi made a roast duck, she would taste it. Except for the first roast duck that was either overcooked or undercooked, she could not taste any difference in the later ones. At most, she felt that one had more meat and the other had more meat flavor.
However, Song Jiaoniang believed her daughter's words more. She glanced at her daughter who was still busy and said with a smile: "Sister Zhi said it is, then it is a failure."
Lin Sen thought for a moment and said, "That's right. Sister Zhi's tongue is different from ours. There must be something wrong."
Linzhi repeatedly familiarized himself with the kiln's temperament, finely adjusted the kiln's temperature, and carefully calculated the amount of charcoal.
As the appointed time arrived, she pulled the last two fat ducks out of the kiln. This time, the maroon skin was oily and shiny, and the heat and fragrance were more intense than before, violent and passionate, rushing in all directions unscrupulously.
Madam Yu next door had been tortured all day and could no longer bear it. She raised her foot and kicked Shopkeeper Wu: "Madam Song, what are they making roast duck? Go buy one tomorrow!"
Shopkeeper Wu swallowed his saliva and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we should also take care of our neighbors."
The family across from Lin Zhi's backyard wall was also equally captivated by the aroma. As mentioned previously, the wall behind Lin Zhi's backyard was directly connected to the residence of a Dali Temple official, Xun Hongwen, the Dali Temple Secretary. Two days earlier, he had been able to ignore the occasional strange aroma, but now, even he was disturbed by the aroma.
He had been reading in the bamboo forest, which was quiet and elegant, but now the garden was filled with this wonderful fragrance, which made his stomach growl with hunger, so he had no mind to turn the pages of the book.
"Master, dinner is here." Just then, a servant brought up several dishes. "...and this is a roasted lamb dish as a gift from the owner of the Great Lamb Restaurant."
Mr. Xun put the book aside, picked up the chopsticks and fiddled with it, but he had no appetite at all.
His stomach growled louder and louder, making him feel even more unhappy. Finally, he threw his chopsticks on the table and asked, "What kind of fragrance is this? How can it be so strong?"
Xun Guanren simply ordered his servant: "Go ask in front and buy me a copy."
When the servant heard this, he was immediately embarrassed: "Master, this is the taste you are talking about, right?"
"Nonsense! Where else could that smell be?"
"If this is the flavor, it's from Linzhiji. I just asked, and they said it won't be available until tomorrow."
"Did you ask just now? You are so heartless that you don't remember to respect me?" Mr. Xun suddenly felt dissatisfied.
"No, no." The servant secretly glanced at Xun Guanren's expression, "Isn't this what the master complained about last time when someone else's shop was setting off firecrackers as too extravagant? If the master didn't mention it, I wouldn't dare to say anything."
"...So it's their shop!" Mr. Xun frowned when he remembered this shop.
Seeing that Xun Guanren frowned but showed no intention of stopping him, the servant quickly continued, "I heard it's a dish called crispy duck. I don't know how it's cooked, but it's been smelling amazing since morning."
"Crispy duck?" Xun Guanren couldn't think of what it was and waved his hand. "Go buy half a duck tomorrow. No! A whole one. It'll be good with my wine, too."
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